


Take a walk

by SterlingBeryl



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dreaming, Environmentalism, Horrible humans, Nature
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-08-07 16:40:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7722106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SterlingBeryl/pseuds/SterlingBeryl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What might one find in the plastic fronds, amongst the beasts of imagination and the cultivated smoke screen? Nature has been wronged irrevocably.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take a walk

You wouldn’t want to get lost in these woods

" _Welcome to the Rainforest, one of the last pieces of woodland on earth. I will be your guide. I will take you on a tour along the path to see incredibly rare plant species._ "

“ _Follow the path closely now, you wouldn’t want to get lost in these dark woods._ ” The tour guide’s voice floated above the gloom. I opened my eyes and heard the metal doors slide shut behind me. The papery leaves crinkled beneath my feet as my eyes followed the thick sturdy trunks skyward, following their ascent into the sky. I patted the tree closest to me. The bark was rough and hard to the touch, and my fingers could trace the paler lines of age that were engraved into the trunk. Mischievous vines anchored themselves onto the tree, adorning it drooping loops of green. Some of these vines would strangle their victim and suffocate the great tree, until they took its place in the forest. The sound of twittering filtered down from above, and I imagined birds flitting to and fro from their perches. Lush green leaves hung off stems, weighted down with moisture, their tips dripping with the morning drizzle. What ground I could see was carpeted with forest detritus of different shades, from which came the distinct shuffle of critters creeping and crawling, lunching on the rotten vegetation. 

The air was humid and dampness clung to every surface. Amongst the undergrowth air there was a busy silence, as the inhabitants of this endangered woodland hustled along their business, unbeknownst to me. I breathed deeply, enjoying the peaceful quiet and the vivid green foliage all around me. The entire scene was shrouded in fog, like some melodramatic touch in a play. I touched the sleek black and green tranquiliser gun hanging at my waist, excited at the prospect of seeing the powerful predators that lurked in this mystical forest. 

The guide’s voice blared out, " _If you would look to your left, you will see the typical place a Rafflesia Arnoldii would live. Rafflesia have the largest flowers on the planet, but due to the unpleasant odour, they have been removed to allow maximize enjoyment of our beautiful rainforest…_ " I looked around and saw a hovering hologram of a Rafflesia, projected by a hard black device. It shed blue unnatural light on the growth around it, and black wires snaked away from it, penetrating into the earthy soil. From the back of my mind came the notion that I should rip the black anomaly from the earth and throw it far away. It bothered me, but I hurried along the path and pushed the startling thought far from my mind. 

As I continued straight on through the trees, the forest grew sparser, and the patches of sunlight dappling the forest earth grew larger. Shoots of grass and delicate flowers velvety to the touch were visible amongst the roots. Black boulders glazed with rainwater lay amongst the roots, and I was surprised not to see them covered in green mossy carpets, or dotted red by toadstools, like in the brochures and advertisements. The monotonous voice shattered the silence, “ _All fungi and mushrooms have been temporarily removed, due to an untended child consuming a toadstool last week. Any harmful genes found in the fungi will be removed, and the mushrooms will be returned safe and unharmed back in their natural habitat._ ” Something about that statement bothered me. I attributed it to the other guests’ inconsideration and inability to teach their own children how to behave. I sighed as I thought of the species that had been uprooted from their natural surroundings, and decided not to ask how they were going to change the DNA of every single organism. 

I left the forest behind and headed into the sunlit meadow ahead. The thick grass rippled faintly with the wind, and tiny white flowers dotted the meadow. To the far left I could see a stream gurgling clean and unpolluted over a rocky bed. I felt a tender breeze pass my face and rustle the leaves on the trees, making them sigh deeply and softly. For the first time, I smelt something strange in the air, yet couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly what it was. 

Before I could ponder any further, the guide interrupted once again. “ _Ahead are some mimosa plants. They were once known as “Shy plants” in certain parts of the world. To see their unique abilities, you make contact with their leaves._ ” Curiosity grabbing hold of me, I picked up a leaf-covered branch, and walked forward to the mimosa. To my dismay, there were entire patches of yellow mimosa, shrunken and sickly. “ _Unfortunately, a guest trampled on them believing they were unnatural and witchcraft, and many were irreparably damaged._ ” Slightly disheartened I poked the leaves. They closed of their own accord. I could not help but be delighted by this fascinating plant. “ _…And of course, some died because our young esteemed guests were understandably excited and tried to take some home with them._ ” I was both amused and saddened to hear it. Had the children not been taught to love nature, and not to destroy it? “ _The mimosa plant is greatly endangered. This is one of six places on earth you can see it._ ” 

Right next to the mimosa plants, was a plant in a beautifully carved ceramic pot. It’s leaves were pale green, tipped with red tint, and it opened like a flower, each leaf curling ever so slightly outwards. “ _This plant is known as a bromeliad. Its natural habitat is on a tree. It stores water with its leaves functioning as a bowl._ ” My heart sank. “If its natural habitat is on a tree, why is it out here?” I asked. The guide replied steadily. “ _It was found that most of the mosquitoes ruining this pleasant experience lay their eggs within the water held in these plants. Therefore we have started the systematic removal of all bromeliads. What you see before you is a replica, so that you may still be able to appreciate its beauty._ ” 

An entire species, plucked from their home just because they inconvenienced humans. Sickened, a sudden frustration came over me. I wanted to yell at the guide, at the parents, at the children even, to make them see sense as to what they were doing to their forest. How did discomfort justify removing plants from their original habitat? I didn’t save up for two years to see a processed and defiled forest! 

I started to tell the guide I wished to leave, but I smelled a stench in the air, and I doubled over as a wave of nausea hit me. “Is that…machine oil?” I gasped, trying not to retch. “ _Apologies sir. If you would like to leave this area, you may return to the-_ “ I tore the earpiece from my ear, not caring where it fell. I stumbled over to the tiny stream and fell on my knees, splashing water on my face to clear my mind. The cool water refreshed me, and the tranquil gurgling of the water calmed me down. For a minute I watched the clear stream of water slip and fall over the smooth rocks at the bottom of the stream. 

After a moment of quiet contemplation, I chuckled. After all that I had seen, why wouldn’t this tranquil stream counterfeit too? The tour guide's voice came out of the closest tree. " _Sir, your tour time is nearly over, you should return to the path to continue the tour._ " I stood. The smell of machine oil was still suspended in the air. It assaulted my senses and though I was revolted, I followed it. It grew stronger as I continued on my way. The path was far behind me as I reached the boundary of the trees, and kept on going.

I could hear no more twittering from above. Above me the leaves stopped rustling. There was only the crunch of my footsteps through the leaves. I touched the tranquilizer gun that hung at my waist. I no longer believed that jaguars still lived in this forest. How could they, when their existence compromised the comfort and safety of The Esteemed Guests? I tossed the plastic gun into the bushes. It wasn’t as though the forest could be further defiled than it already was. 

The dreadful smell became almost unbearable, and the trees were growing more and more sparse as I walked on. The ground sloped uphill, and I marched up with straining muscles. There were deep holes in the ground and trees without any roots lying next to the holes. In the trunks of some trees were perfectly shaped circles, and bundles of uniform branches were stacked in a pile. My lungs wheezed for clean air but could only take in the revolting smell. My vision blurred and I gasped, forcing my legs to continue moving. 

As I finally broke through the last line of trees, I saw a dead end. The end of my self forged path. The rocky concrete broke off and beyond that was nothing but smoggy grey sky. I slowly walked past the plastic fronds of grass quivering in the setting sun, until I was standing on the jutting rock, looking down far below. 

There was nothing. Nothing but bare earth and tree stumps. Giant killing machines crawled over massive score marks in the dull dry earth, dragging tall trees behind them. Rusty pipes on top of the vehicles jolted and pumped sinister clouds into the air. Men in yellow caps felled proud trees, which then toppled over, creaking, before hitting the earth with a resounding thud. The entire scene was an infestation, ravaging the earth. 

The exertion of running uphill combined with what I saw finally took its toll. Black spots danced in front of my eyes, and I toppled over, hitting the ground unconscious. 

***********************************************************************************

I watched the men at work, making quick work of the forest. They scurried about following orders and machines gouged out the earth. Not for the first time, I felt unease about my job. At least the pay is good. Last night’s dream resurfaced in my mind’s eye, startlingly clear. I saw, as though a premonition of the future, the construction of glittering skyscrapers and rosy colored buildings, watched them growing taller and taller. I saw people moving in, filling in the empty apartments, laughing, crying, talking, and their voices blended into a single ringing buzz. The buzzing grew louder and louder as it drowned out the sounds of rushing water, of proud forest, of Earth. I spat out the last of my cigarette, and trampled it underfoot, dispelling the last vestiges of my dream. 

“At least,” I murmured to myself, wandering towards the pitiful forest, “The pay is good.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is practically the exact same piece of descriptive writing I did for IGCSE english, and I'm actually pretty proud of it. I don't know if I'm allowed to post this actually, so I waited till the week before the grades come out. Fingers crossed, wish fellow IGCSE people luck.
> 
> Me a few weeks later: I did good yo.


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